Patent GB-559079-A (GB)
Title: Improved method of and apparatus for filling bottles and like containers with carbonated liquids
IPC: B67C3/26
Filed: 1942-06-05
Abstract: 559,079. Bottling. CROWN CORK & SEAL CO., Inc. June 5, 1942, No. 7704. Convention date, Aug. 2, 1941. [Class 125 (ii)] In filling bottles and like containers with carbonated beverages, the liquid is passed without interruption from a reservoir under pressure into the bottle under a counter-pressure and, when only the headspace portion of the bottle is left unfilled, the flow of the'liquid is stopped, the headspace pressure is snifted from the bottle directly to atmosphere, and the snifting discontinued before all of the headspace pressure is released and before any resultant foam can fill the headspace, the beverage being then permitted to reach an equilibrium with the headspace and the bottle being subsequently opened to the atmosphere; the snifting can be effected at spaced intervals. As shown, the bottle supports and filling heads are carried by a rotary table and are of the general construction described in Specification 522,297, the valve body 40 of each filling head, Figs. 3, 6 and 7, having passages 76, 77 leading to ports 76a, 77a in its face and connected to the tube 38 leading to the air or gas space above the liquid reservoir 37, Fig. 1, and a passage 80 having a port 80a in the face of the valve body and connected to the tube 39 leading to the bottoms of the reservoir while the rotary disc valve 43 has a passage 95 leading to ports 96, 97, 98 in the valve face and a passage 100 leading to ports 101, 102 also in the valve face. The valve 43 is mounted on a pin 46 screwed into the body 40 and the pin is hollowed out to carry a snifting valve 58 having passages 127 in its stem leading to a recess 121 in the body 40 and connected by a passage 120a to a passage 120 in a collar 83 carrying the filling nozzle 41 and packing 118 against which the centring bell 42 of the filling head is forced when the bottle is raised to the filling positions; the passage 120 is connected by a pair of inclined passages 119 to a recess 117 leading to slots in the bore 115 of the bell which surrounds the outer tube 88 of the filling nozzle 41 and so in connection with the headspace of the bottle and a spring 128 normally forces the snifting valve against its seat to close the headspace to the atmosphere. The tube 88 of the filling nozzle has openings 55 leading to the space 91a between it and the inner tube 91 which communicates with openings 111 in the end 110 of the nozzle, the tube 91 being connected at the top to a passage 90 in the valve body leading to a port 90a in the face thereof while the space 91a is connected by a passage 81 in the valve body to a port 81a in the face of the valve body. In the rotation of the table 33 and filling heads 35, the arm 45 of the valve 43 is first rotated from the closed position to the counter-pressure position by a fixed trip 50 with which the arm engages, the rotation of the valve bringing the ports 96, 98 opposite the ports 77a, 81a respectively while the ports 97, 101 and 102 remain closed; gas then flows from the reservoir through the pipe 38, passage 77, ports 77a, 96, passage 95 and port 98 to the port 81a and passage 81 and so to the space 91a between the inner and outer tubes of the filling nozzle to the bottle which becomes filled with gas at the same or a slightly greater pressure than that of the gas in the reservoir. The table then rotates through about 210 degrees to the filling position where the arm 45 contacts with a fixed trip 52 and the valve is rotated to close the port 98 while the ports 96, 97 are brought opposite the ports 76a, 81a respectively, Fig. 6, and the ports 101, 102 opposite the ports 80a, 90a respectively, Fig. 7, liquid then flows through the pipe 39, ports 80a, 101, passage 100 ports 102, 90a and passage 90 to the inner tube 91 of the filling nozzle and so into the bottle while the gas displaced from the bottle flows through the passage 81, ports 81a, 97, passage 95, ports 96, 76a and passage 76 back through the pipe 38 to the reservoir. Further rotation of the table brings the head to the, or the first, snifting position, the arm 44 of the valve is engaged by a fixed trip. 56 to rotate the valve and close all the ports and a spring-mounted trip 59, adjustable in position along a support 151, then engages the shank 57 of the snifting valve 58 and forces the valve off its seat so that the headspace of the bottle is opened to the atmosphere through the bore 115, passages 119, 120, 120a, recess 121, and passages 127 in the valve stem which then communicates with bores and slots in the shank of the valve. The bottle may be again snifted by further adjustable trips 65 and the bottle is subsequently lowered and opened to the atmosphere.